Campton in Grafton County, New Hampshire — The American Northeast (New England)

Blair Bridge

cmh2315fl via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0), October 10, 2009

1. Blair Bridge Marker

Inscription. Hiram W. Merrill (1822-1898) of Plymouth, N. H., built this bridge in 1870 to replace a span of 1829 that had been burned by an arsonist. The bridge employs a truss design patented by Col. Stephen Harriman Long (1784-1864) of Hopkinton, N. H. It is New Hampshire's only surviving example of Long's patent to retain wedges at the lower chords by which the trusses were pre-stressed during construction, stiffening the bridge against the weight of traffic. Covered bridge expert Milton S. Graton (1908-1994) restored the structure in 1977.

Erected 2005 by New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. (Marker Number 196.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Bridges & Viaducts. In addition, it is included in the Covered Bridges, and the New Hampshire Historical Highway Markers series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1870.

Location. 43° 48.617′ N, 71° 40.001′ W. Marker is in Campton, New Hampshire, in Grafton County. Marker is on Blair Road, 0.1 miles west of Daniel Webster Highway (U.S. 3), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 57 Blair Rd, Campton NH 03223, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Samuel Livermore (approx. 3.4 miles

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away); Captain Douglas A. DiCenzo (approx. 3.6 miles away); Bobcat Boulder (approx. 3.6 miles away); Stream Gaging in New Hampshire (approx. 3.7 miles away); The Frost House (approx. 3.7 miles away); Holmes Plymouth Academy (approx. 3.7 miles away); May 30, 1990 (approx. 3.8 miles away); Capt. Harl Pease Jr. (approx. 3.8 miles away).

Regarding Blair Bridge. According to the State of New Hampshire:

The first bridge at this location was built in 1829 at a cost of $1,000. That bridge was burned down by a man named Lem Parker who claimed that God told him to do it. Parker was taken to court and confessed to the charges. However, he was found not guilty because there were no witnesses. The construction of the current bridge was brought about when a doctor trying to ford the river on horseback found the current too strong. The horse drowned, but the doctor was saved. The town voted to build a bridge immediately. A sign was posted on the bridge indicating there was a fine of five dollars for riding or driving on the bridge faster than five miles per hour. It was rebuilt by Milton Graton and his son Arnold in 1977 at a
cmh2315fl via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0), October 10, 2009

2. Blair Bridge
cost of $59,379. The town of Campton and the state shared the cost of the repair. The Blair Bridge is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Blair Bridge image. Click for full size.

cmh2315fl via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0), October 10, 2009

3. Blair Bridge

Credits. This page was last revised on May 27, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 27, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 221 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 27, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

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